Chapter 43: Possession

He looked at the panel.

The Kill Value had jumped directly from four to six.

Clearly, that previous strike had not only broken the illusion but had also inflicted some form of damage upon the evil entity.

The increase in Kill Value undoubtedly proved this point.

It also made Shen Changqing realize that he did not necessarily need to slay the evil entity to gain points; as long as he inflicted certain types of damage, he could receive corresponding Kill Value.

He had already suspected this back when he was in the Demon Suppression Prison, receiving Kill Value from the remnants of demon corpses.

To obtain Kill Value, slaying the evil entity was not the only way.

Lowering his long saber, the tip lightly touching the ground, Shen Changqing made no further move.

The evil entity had launched an attack. It certainly would not stop there.

From the recent frontal clash, the strength of that entity was, at most, at the Ghost Grade, and it was even slightly weaker than the one in Guyue Village.

Even before his breakthrough, Shen Changqing was confident he could cut it down. Now that he had broken through to the Xiantian realm, he didn't even consider a Ghost Grade monstrosity a threat.

However—

What Shen Changqing feared was never a Ghost Grade monstrosity; he feared that the Eternal Life Alliance would dispatch something above the Ghost Grade.

To put it bluntly, he had only just broken through to the Xiantian realm himself.

Although his transformed Pure Yang True Qi had significantly enhanced his ability to suppress evil, if a powerful Resentment Grade monstrosity were to strike, Shen Changqing did not have one hundred percent certainty of handling it.

That single strike had wounded the Ghost Grade entity; it would not easily strike a second time.

Time passed.

Shen Changqing stood holding his saber, his perception pushed to its limit as he observed the slightest changes in his surroundings.

Yin energy surged at his side.

*Swish—*

Shen Changqing’s body moved violently. His long saber slashed out like a bolt of lightning, sending a wave of heat sweeping in all directions.

A pale palm collided with the long saber and was instantly repelled.

"Ah!"

With a piercing scream, the evil entity retreated.

Shen Changqing stepped forward, attempting to pinpoint the entity's location, but it vanished too quickly. By the time he reached the spot, he had struck nothing but air.

"Damn it!" he cursed inwardly.

With a cold, sharp gaze, Shen Changqing observed the shifting surroundings.

The greatest difficulty in dealing with evil entities was their formlessness; unless one found the object they were possessing, it was difficult to do anything to them.

"There are only two ways to solve this right now. Either I can slay it with overwhelming force the next time it manifests, or I must find the object it is possessing. Aside from those two, there is no other way."

Shen Changqing felt a sense of helplessness.

Evil entities were indeed troublesome. If no weakness could be found, one could only wait to be attacked.

Within his current field of vision, there were many objects, and he could not be certain which one was the vessel for the entity. Furthermore, the possessed object might not even be inside the yamen; it could potentially be outside.

According to Shen Changqing's understanding, the range of an evil entity's illusion depended on its strength. However, the illusion range of a Ghost Grade monstrosity was at most about one to two thousand feet, and its attack range was within a hundred feet; it would absolutely not exceed that.

Therefore, the possessed object had to be within a hundred feet.

If it weren't for the fact that this was the yamen, Shen Changqing would have wanted to set the whole place on fire.

"It's either inside the yamen or just outside, but it definitely won't be far away. Unfortunately, I cannot leave right now. This attack on the yamen was certainly aimed at the Zhao family!"

Shen Changqing calmed his mind. Now, it was a matter of seeing who could endure longer.

As long as he did not leave, the evil entity would have no chance of successfully breaking the prisoners out—provided no powerful entity appeared.

At this moment, his mind was completely focused. He mobilized his Pure Yang True Qi, spreading it through his limbs and bones to bring his physical state to its peak.

Shen Changqing was waiting.

He was waiting for the opportunity for a single, decisive strike.

Before breaking through to the Xiantian realm, he lacked such strength, but after the breakthrough, the transformation of his Pure Yang True Qi changed everything.

If the timing was right, even if he couldn't find the possessed object, he might still be able to slay the entity.

After the previous exchange, the scene fell silent once more.

Shen Changqing stood at the entrance of the cell like an iron tower, refusing to move an inch.

Before long, his ears twitched at a faint sound, followed by a sudden surge of Yin energy at his side.

But this time, Shen Changqing did not move, allowing the Yin energy to strike—

However, when the Yin energy reached within three feet of his body, it suddenly dissipated, as if it had never existed.

A probe!

Shen Changqing sneered inwardly.

After the previous clash, the evil entity had sensed his strength and no longer dared to attack recklessly, opting instead for simple probes.

After one fruitless attempt, the scene quickly returned to silence.

In less than fifteen minutes, noisy sounds erupted from the other side of the yamen, causing quite a commotion.

Shen Changqing gripped his long saber and looked coldly in the other direction, where flames were flickering, suggesting a battle was taking place.

"A diversionary tactic?"

"Or are they attacking the flank to save the center?"

He couldn't be sure. Currently, he was alone. He had to either stay here to ensure the prison wasn't breached or abandon the Zhao family to go rescue the others.

Just then, a man came running toward him in a panic.

"Sir, something has happened!"

"What happened?" Shen Changqing frowned as he watched Hong Cheng stumble toward him.

Hong Cheng showed no signs of blood on his body, and his face looked panicked, but for some reason, something about him felt... off.

Wait!

Off!

Shen Changqing's heart jolted. Without a second thought, he slashed his saber toward Hong Cheng.

The man, who should have been panicking, revealed a grotesque smile. In the next instant, he dodged the saber's attack. His calloused palm grew sharp, long nails that lunged toward Shen Changqing's chest.

"How bold!"

Shen Changqing was furious. He did not pull back his blade; instead, he struck with his other hand. A piercing palm wind roared out, colliding violently with the opponent's hand.

*Bang—*

The immense force shattered the nails, and the arm was twisted by the sheer power of the impact.

'Hong Cheng' recoiled. Even though his arm was twisted like a piece of rope and pale bone protruded through the flesh, his face showed no sign of pain. Instead, his eyes turned toward Shen Changqing with shock.

"Xiantian!"

"A Resentment Grade monstrosity!"

The words escaped Shen Changqing's lips, his voice as cold as a winter frost.

His worst suspicion had come true.

The Eternal Life Alliance had not only sent an evil entity to break the prisoners out, but they had also dispatched a Resentment Grade monstrosity.

A Resentment Grade entity no longer merely attached itself to inanimate objects; it could directly possess a living person and control everything about them.

The Hong Cheng before him was currently possessed.

Combined with the previous Ghost Grade entity, there were now two evil entities within the yamen.

Kill!

Without a word of dialogue, Shen Changqing lunged forward, charging straight at 'Hong Cheng.'

The long saber tore through the air!

The sound was like thunder!